Menu
I was trawling through some of the IL of one of my assemblies (via ILDasm) and I noticed that all of my methods begin with a nop instruction.
Does anyone know why that is?
895
NOP is a mnemonic that stands for “No Operation”. This instruction does nothing during execution. Only it occupied 1-Byte of memory space and spends 4-Machine Cycles. NOP instruction can be used to create small-time delay in the execution of the code.
NOPs serve several purposes: They allow the debugger to place a breakpoint on a line even if it is combined with others in the generated code. It allows the loader to patch a jump with a different-sized target offset. It allows a block of code to be aligned at a particular boundary, which can be good for caching.
What Does No Operation (NOP) Mean? A no operation or “no-op” instruction in an assembly language is an instruction that does not implement any operation. IT pros or others might refer to this as a blank instruction or placeholder.
A NOP is most commonly used for timing purposes, to force memory alignment, to prevent hazards, to occupy a branch delay slot, to render void an existing instruction such as a jump, as a target of an execute instruction, or as a place-holder to be replaced by active instructions later on in program development (or to ...
The assembly was compiled in debug mode. Nop instructions do not do anything (i.e have no side effects), but act as a convenient instruction to place a breakpoint.
Tip
If you need a place for an additional breakpoint for debugging purposes, you can force the inclusion of a Nop in a Debug build by adding a pair of empty braces, e.g.
_grid.PreviewMouseRightButtonDown += (sender, e) => { _isRightMouseDown = true; RowColumnIndex cell = _grid.PointToCellRowColumnIndex(e); {} //<------ Adding a Nop allows a breakpoint here. }; If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With
